After thriving on the independent circuit following his 2020 release from WWE, interest reignited in Matt Cardona returning to WWE after a match with LA Knight on SmackDown. And now, having re-signed with the company and returned to television last week, Cardona has opened up about his return on his podcast, calling the process “very stressful in a good way,” and confirming he signed the deal just before Christmas. Additionally, he revealed he prepared ring gear for both his personas, as he wasn’t sure which name he’d be using.
And then finally, it got signed Christmas week. So it was very sudden. And then it’s like, okay, am I Zack? Am I Matt? So I’m having both sets of gear made and designed. Even that day, going to SmackDown, SmackDown was in Buffalo, so I flew into Rochester, so no one would see me at the airport. Then I was hidden in a room all day.”Matt Cardona
40-year-old Cardona debuted in wrestling in 2004 on the independents and, within two years, was signed by WWE. Over the next 14 years, he won the Intercontinental, United States, and Tag Team Championships while becoming a social media star through his YouTube series. And while he was surprisingly released in 2020 due to budget cuts, he reinvented himself as “The Indy God,” a nod to the Indiana Jones movie franchise. Subsequently, he won multiple championships across GCW, NWA, and TNA, demonstrating his ability to draw crowds.
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